The pity in Kihn’s eyes threatened to undo him. Even pinned to the wall, a dagger at her throat, she was sympathetic to the circumstances that brought him here. He bet she could see his resolve wavering as the blade hesitated to sink into the vulnerable skin of her neck. Watching the veins in her neck pulse with every swallow, he pressed the dagger closer. A thin cut appeared, and blood beaded down the length of the blade. The beads dripped from the tip to create a steady plinking noise.

“Are you going to stand there all day or what?” Veloda’s voice almost made him cut deeper into Kihn’s skin. “If we get caught, you’re going to have to kill more people than you’re comfortable with.”

“Give me a second,” he replied without taking his eyes away from Kihn’s. Veloda’s presence was an oppressive one, always lingering at the back of his mind.

Kihn swallowed once more, wetting her mouth enough to whisper, “You don’t have to do this.”

He shook his head and whispered back, “You have no idea how much I have to do this.”

“I can help you. That’s the demigod Veloda, right? I know his weakness.”

He pushed her harder into the wall to muffle their voices more. “Humans are no match against a demigod. Even weak, he could kill us in an instant.”

“No, listen,” she pulled him close by the front of his coat, “King Malek told me about a demigod named Veloda. The blue-skinned one who slaughtered Royal Magician Roscoe, parading his dismembered head down the streets of Stolital. The one with the cuffs.”

Zaki turned his head to peer at Veloda. When they first met, the demigod had worn manacles on his wrists, and long chains tied him to the temple. He had been able to remove the chains, but the manacles had firmly stayed on Veloda’s wrists. At the time, he had worried about them hurting Veloda, but the demigod had been quick to assure him that they were harmless. However, he had noticed that the demigod hid them away whenever he shifted his form. While not visible, he was sure they were still connected to Veloda in some way.

“I know of the cuffs you speak about. Though, I’m not familiar with the slaughter of your predecessor.”

“He doesn’t want you to know how untrustworthy he is. But the king told me that you can subdue the demigod with the cuffs and his true name. He’ll have to do anything you tell him.”

That was an appealing thought. He could tell the demigod to leave him alone forever, and he would be free to live his life as he pleased. The concept of a true name was looked upon with skepticism by magicians, but he didn’t think Kihn would lie to him. If King Malek said that this was the truth, then he would believe him. Besides, what other option did he have?

“His true name?”

She nodded, careful of the dagger at her throat. “Veloda is moniker. His true name is—”

Blue fingers dug into the hinges of Kihn’s jaw, opening her mouth and stopping her from finishing her sentence. Veloda’s cold eyes appraised the situation with detached curiosity. “Ah, ah, it isn’t nice to tell secrets.”

“Veloda,” his voice struggled to be louder than a whisper, “She wasn’t saying anything important. It’s fine. I’ve got this.”

“No, I don’t think that’s quite the truth.” Veloda’s fingers were still locked onto Kihn’s jaw. Her skin must be bruising from the strength of the grip. “Even in death, Malek manages to make a nuisance of himself.”

He could have denied that he and Kihn were talking about the demigod, but he knew that it wouldn’t matter. Veloda didn’t believe him, and there was no changing his mind. “She was trying to help.”

“Help?” a bark of laughter escaped Veloda, “She’s trying to poison your mind, muttering about my secrets. No one can help you but me. Don’t let her distract you from what you need to do. Kill her.”

“I will!” he shouted, immediately regretting it when the sound echoed down the abandoned hallway. “I just need a second.”

Veloda sighed, “That’s what you said five minutes ago. I know the first kill for you humans is hard, but come on. Grow a spine.”

“Your commentary isn’t helping.”

“Neither is hers. I’ll have to fix that.”

Before he could ask Veloda what he was going to do, the demigod stuck his hand down Kihn’s mouth, ripping out her tongue. For a moment, the silence was thick enough to be cut through. Kihn’s surprised eyes met his, and Veloda stood calm with her severed tongue. Then, the screaming started. Wordless shrieks bubbled from her throat as blood filled her mouth. Fear that someone would catch them had him covering her mouth. The action caused her to thrash violently, seeking a way out of his clutch. He had to drop his blade to keep her in place.

“Look at her, she’s suffering,” Veloda cooed into his ear.

He hyperventilated as her blood spilled out between his fingers. His grip on her neck tightened as he kept her from breaking his hold. Choking sounds replaced her stifled screaming. She was suffocating. He didn’t know the amount of blood pouring down her throat, but it didn’t bode well for her. Nails clawed at his arms, scratching any uncovered skin. Tears rolled down her face and mixed with the blood that seeped through his hand. He should do something, anything, but he was stuck watching her die. He had to look away.

“S-stop it,” he stuttered, his eyes averted to the floor. “Stop talking.”

“You can do it. Put her out of her misery.”

Veloda’s strong hands pried his hand away from her mouth. Stilted screams filled the air once more. The discarded dagger was placed in his palm. Veloda laced their fingers together and then curled them around the hilt. The demigod brought the dagger to Kihn’s forehead. The sharp point dug into the thin skin.

“No!” he shouted, “I can’t! Please, anything but this. Please.”

Veloda shushed him, running a soothing hand through his hair. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m right here by your side. Now, what’s a reinforcement spell that would allow this dagger to go through her skull?”

Zaki merely shook his head, repeating, “I can’t!”

The hand that had been stroking his head moved to grab his jaw. He was forced to face Kihn again. Her face was contorted in misery. Pain must have been an understatement for what she felt. His throat squeezed with emotion, and a burning started in the back of his eyes. But he didn’t let himself cry. He didn’t get the right to cry after what he’d done.

Veloda said, “Poor thing’s in so much pain. Shouldn’t we help relieve her of it?” The dagger in their hand pressed further into her forehead.

Kihn was in a lot of pain. He didn’t want to kill her, but was keeping her alive the right thing to do? Like Veloda said, she was suffering. “It’s the most humane thing to do.”

“It would be cruel to let her die like this.”

“Yeah, it would be cruel.” This was mercy. She deserved a faster death than bleeding out.

Their grip on the hilt of the dagger strengthened, and Veloda placed a couple of asteran scales into his shirt pocket. “Say the spell.”

“Slubsea tiehs ybleoad ïwtuh eatl ernsythtoeg ifo unoea atehouydnso enim.” Purple tendrils wobbled around the blade of the dagger before it stabilized into a solid coating.

There was no countdown. Veloda pulled their hands back before shoving it forward with all their force. The dagger speared her skull with a disgusting squelch. Blood squirted out, hitting him in the face. As the metallic-smelling liquid oozed down his checks, he had to repeat to himself that this was for her good. He was helping her. Soon enough, Pravu would take her soul to Eternal Slumber. Despite the reassurances he told himself, he felt like a monster. A monster just like Veloda.

Their hands fell from the blade, and his arms hung limply at his side. Without him holding her to the wall, Kihn slid to the floor. Unseeing eyes stared straight ahead, and red pooled around her, staining his shoes.

“Severin, you’ve never looked more like yourself.” Veloda brushed away a stray drop of Kihn’s blood from his face.

“I hate you.” His vision swam like he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain. Raising shaking hands to his head, he clutched his hair. Bloody hands caused the strands to stick together.

Veloda turned his head sharply, a narrowed gaze directed at him. “What did you say to me?”

“I hate you.” He fell to his knees, screaming, “I hate you! Leave me be!”

“You don’t mean that, Severin.”

“I do!” Sobs wracked his body, tears diluting the blood into a watery red puddle. “I fucking hate you! I wish I had never met you!”

“Severin, tell me you’re lying! Right now!” Veloda was now in hysterics too. The demigod shook his shoulders, trying to get him to respond in the way he wanted him to. “Take it back!”

He shoved Veloda’s hands from his shoulders. He glared up at the demigod with all the hatred and resentment he had for the being. He hissed, “You’re a monster.”

Veloda roared, “I am not a monster! I’m not a šuŵhlad!”

Zaki took in a shuddering breath, “All you are is a repulsive monster.”